The provision of medical aids to China's millions of disabled and elderly people is still in its infancy, officials said yesterday.
The statement came as part of a State Council drive to promote the 2007 Care & Rehabilitation Expo China, the country's first trade event for the medical products sector, which will be held next month.
The organisers, which include China's Paralympics committee, hope the trade fair will raise awareness of the availability and importance of such products.
The expo will feature equipment ranging from state-of-the-art hearing aids, to prosthetic limbs and wheelchair-friendly vehicles from overseas and domestic suppliers.
According to official figures, there are more than 80 million disabled people in China, half of them among the mainland's 144 million senior citizens.
But, only 30 per cent of the disabled think they need medical aids. The prevalence of actual use of medical aids is even lower. Only between 8.06 and 12.37 per cent of disabled people in cities use them. The figures in the rural areas range between 1.51 and 1.73 per cent.
Officials cited various reasons, including the inability of consumers to afford them, the lack of quality domestically produced aids, limited market interest in the business, and, above all, a weak general awareness of such products.
